Hand-guide for pianos.



No. 679,288. Patented July 30, mm. w. BOHRER.

HAND GUIDE FOR PIANOS.

(Application filed Jan. 19,-1901.)

(No Model.)

f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BOHRER, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

HAND-GUIDE FOR PIANOS.

. SPEGIFIGATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 679,288, dated July 30, 1901. Application; iiled January 19, 1901. semi N0. 4.3.960. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BOHRER, of the city of Montreal, in the district of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Guides for Pianos; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates particularly to handguides for use in the instruction of a pupil to maintain a proper elevation of the hands relatively to the keyboard.

The invention has for its prime object to provide a handguide for pianos which will automatically raise or lower the level of the pupils hand when he moves it from the white to the black keys, or vice versa, a further object of the invention being to provide a guide that Willmove more easily with the pupils hands and be more susceptible to and tend to prevent the hand assuming an incorrect position, as by lowering the wrists, a fault all beginners are subject to.

To this end the invention may 'be said, briefly, to consist of a pair of wristguides hung from a pair of carriages supported upon a rod, and the connections between the guides and carriages being adapted when depressed to a certain extent to make a frictional-contact with and arrest the movement of the carriages.

The invention may be said, furthermoregto consist in the various combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

For full comprehension, however, of my invention reference must be had to the accompanyingdrawings,forming a part of this specification, in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts, and Wherein-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a piano with a pair of hand-guides constructed according to my invention applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional View thereof. Fig. 3 is a front View of the carriage and a portion of the guide-rod.

My invention comprises a guide-rod adj ustably supported above the keyboard and a pair of carriages running along said guide-rod. Each of my improved carriages is mounted upona pair of wheels at, preferably provided with-rubber tires 19, and abow-spring c is secured at its middle, preferably by a strap d, to the under side of the carriage, and is of sufficient length to have its ends project over the wheels 0.. The ends of this bow-spring are bent back, as at f, to inclose and support a pair of loops g, having hooks it formed in one therewith, which suspend two short lengths t' of chain connected at their lower ends to a wristring 7.

. The wheels of my improved carriages run between avpair of flanges 70, formed integral with a tubular rod m, constituting the guide-rod and supported at its ends upon standards 01, passing downwardly through and adj ustably secured by tho nib-screws o in a pair of braclc etsp, which are in turn adjustahly secured by thumb-screws q to the under side of the forwardly-projecting portion of the piano-frame.

In use the guide-rod on isfirst adjusted to the proper height and to a position relatively to the front of the keyboard most desirable for the correct position of the pupils hands, which are passed through the wrist-rings, his wrists resting lightly without pressing upon the rings. The rolling carriage offers a minimum resistance to the movement of the hands up and down the keyboard, while the fact of the wrist-rings swinging on a center above and in front of the keyboard will insure an upward swinging of the rings corresponding with the upward and forward movement of the hands from the surface of the white to the surface of the black keys. The rubber tires 1) facilitate a brake action of the bow-spring c, the function whereof is when-the pupils wrists are lowered from the proper position to transmit the resulting undue pressure from the wrist-rings to the bow-springs, thereby bending the latter and causing their ends to bear upon the tires and prevent the carriages mov-.

ing with the ease necessary.

What I claim is as follows:

1. A hand-guide for pianos, comprising a supporting-rod, a pair of carriages adapted to travel along such rod, a pair of wrist-guides and connections between each of said carriages and a wrist-guide, such connections adapted when depressed to a certain extent to make a frictional contact with and arrest the movement of the carriages, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a pair of carriages traveling above and longitudinally of the keyboard of a piano, and means for supporting said carriages, of a pair of wrist-guides, and means, including a part for arresting the movement of the carriage, for suspending one of said wrist-guides from each of said carriages, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with a pair of carriages traveling above and longitudinally of the keyboard of a piano, and means for supporting said carriages, of a pair of Wrist-guides, devices for automatically arresting the movement of said carriages, and means for suspending said wrist-guides from the arresting devices, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of a pair of carriages each mounted upon a pair of Wheels located one at each end thereof and running upon a guide-rod above and extending longitudinally of the keyboard of a piano; means for supporting said rod; a bow-spring secured at its middle to each of said carriages and having its ends extending over the wheels thereof, a pair of wrist-guides and means for suspending one of said wrist-guides from the ends of each of said bow-springs, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a pair of carriages each mounted upon a pair of wheels located at each end thereof; a guide-rod supporting said carriages and above and extending longitudinally of the keyboard of a piano; means for supporting said guide-rod; rubber tires upon said wheels, a bow-spring secured at its middle to each of said carriages and having its ends extending over the Wheels thereof, a pair of wrist-guides and meansfor suspending one of said wrist-guides from the ends of the bow-spring of each carriage, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

6. A hand -guide attachment for pianos comprising a flanged tubular rod, means for supporting said rod in front of and above the keyboard; apairofcarriages; apairof Wheels located one at each end of each of said carriages and running between the flanges upon said rod; rubber tires forsaidwheels; abow-spring secured at its middle to each of said carriages and havingits ends extending over the wheels thereof; a pair of wrist-rings; two pairs of each connected at one end to one of said v loops and at its other end to one of said wristrings, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

7. A hand-guide attachment for pianos comprising a flanged tubular rod, means for supporting said rod in front of and above the keyboard; means for adjusting said rod toward and from said keyboard; a pair of carriages; a pair of wheels located one at each end of each of said carriages and running between the flanges upon said rod; rubber tires for said wheels; a bow-spring secured at its middle to the under side of each of said carriages and having its ends extending over the Wheels thereof; a pair of w 'ist-rings; two pairs of loops encircling said flanged rod and connected at their upper ends to the ends of said bow-springs; a series of chains each connected at one end to one of said loops and at its other end to one of said wrist-rings, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

8. A hand-guide attachment for pianos comprising a flanged tubular rod, means for supporting said rod in front of and above the keyboard; means for adjusting said rod toward and from said keyboard; means for vertically adjusting said rod; a pair of carriages; a pair of wheels upon and located one at each end of each of said carriages and running between the flanges upon said rod; rubber tires for said wheels; a bow-spring secured at its middle to the under side of each of said carriages and having its ends extending over the wheels thereof; a pair of wristrings; two pairs of loops encircling said flanged rod and connected at their upper ends tothe ends of said bow-springs; a series of chains each connected at one end to one of said loops and at its other end to one of said Wrist-rings, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM BOHRER.

Witnesses:

FRED J. SEARS, ARTHUR H. EVANS. 

